Degree: B.S.

Coordinator: Judith P. Grassle (jgrassle@imcs.rutgers.edu)

Marine science is the study of the marine environment and its interactions with the earth, the biosphere, and the atmosphere. It is therefore an interdisciplinary science requiring a knowledge of the principles of physics, geology and geophysics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology. A major in marine sciences provides students with a broad curriculum in the sciences, which demonstrates how the different disciplines can be brought to bear on understanding marine processes and managing ocean resources wisely.

The major prepares students for graduate work in oceanography or one of the basic disciplines, civil service careers in environmental management, employment in the many applied environmental and marine science fields, or teaching in the secondary schools.

The marine science courses emphasize improvement of oral and written communication skills and facility in accessing, reading, and understanding the current primary literature in marine sciences. Many of the courses include hands-on, experiential learning in the laboratory or the field. Students also are required to complete the experience-based education requirement with at least one term or summer of supervised, independent research.

The program includes the following options:

Marine Biology/Biological Oceanography. This option prepares students for professional opportunities or graduate study in oceanography or the biological sciences. Concentrations within the option permit students to focus on different levels of biological organization: at the molecular, cellular, organismic, community, or ecosystem level. Depending on their choice of electives, students also may fulfill the requirements of a major in the biological sciences or natural resource management.

Marine Chemistry. This option prepares students for professional opportunities or graduate study in oceanography or chemistry. Students who elect 6.5 additional credits of chemistry and 3 additional credits of mathematics also may fulfill the requirements of a major in chemistry. (Beginning with the class of 2005, chemistry majors in options B, C, and D must complete at least one term of biochemistry at the 400-level for ACS certification.)

Marine Geology. This option prepares students for graduate study in oceanography, geology, environmental science, or an allied field, as well as for immediate employment. Students electing three additional courses in geology also may fulfill the requirements for the major in geology.

Physical Oceanography. This option prepares students for graduate study in physical oceanography, meteorology, fluid dynamics, or a related field, as well as immediate employment in environmental agencies or consulting firms and technical positions in marine sciences.

Graduation Requirements for the Major

Students majoring in marine sciences must have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0.

Please see the Programs of Study Summary on page 272 for information regarding changes in degree requirements.

I. Interdisciplinary/Ethical Analysis (5 credits)

  11:015:101  Perspectives on Agriculture and the Environment (2)

  11:015:400  Junior/Senior Colloquium (3)

II. Introductory Life and Physical Sciences

See VIII A below.

III. The Arts (6 credits)

See suggested courses in the Degree Requirements chapter.

IV. Human Diversity (6 credits)

See suggested courses in the Degree Requirements chapter.

V. Economic and Political Systems (6-9 credits)

See suggested courses in the Degree Requirements chapter. (Students considering the fisheries science certificate should note that microeconomics is a prerequisite for 11:373:362 Natural Resource Economics (3) and 11:373:363 Environmental Economics (3).

VI. Oral and Written Communication (6 credits)

See suggested courses in the Degree Requirements chapter.

VII. Experience-Based Education (6 credits)

  11:628:497,498Special Problems in Marine and Coastal Sciences (BA,BA) or an equivalent independent research or cooperative education placement which includes both oral and written presentations of scientific results.

VIII. Competence in Marine Sciences (74-86 credits)

A. REQUIRED COURSES (27)

Quantitative Methods

See VIII B, Option requirements.

Computer Competence

See VIII B, Option requirements.

Professional Ethics

Ethical issues in marine sciences are addressed throughout the program in both introductory and advanced courses, especially within the framework of the experience-based education requirement.

Other Required Courses (27)

  01:119:101-102  General Biology (4,4)

  01:160:161-162  General Chemistry (4,4)

  01:160:171  Introduction to Experimentation (1)

 11:628:200  Marine Sciences (4)

 11:628:364  Oceanographic Methods and Data Analysis (3)

 01:960:401  Basic Statistics for Research (3)

B. OPTIONS (47-59)

1. Marine Biology/Biological Oceanography (54-59)

Required courses (51-56)

  01:160:307-308  Organic Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160: 315-316 Principles of Organic Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160:209 Elementary Organic Chemistry (3) and 01:694:301/11:115:301 Introductory Biochemistry (3) and 01:694:313/11:115:313 Introductory Biochemistry Laboratory (1)

  01:198:110  Introduction to Computers and Their Application (3) or 01:198:221 Numerical Problems and Computer Programming (4)

  01:447:380  Genetics (4) or 11:776:305 Plant   Genetics (4)

  11:628:462  Biological Oceanography (4)

  11:628:472  Chemical Oceanography (4) or 11:628:451 Physical  Oceanography (4)

  01:640:1__,1__  two terms of calculus (4,4)

  11:704:351  Principles of Applied Ecology (4)

  01:750:193-194  Physics for the Sciences (4,4) or 01: 750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) and 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1)

One of the following:

  01:146:356  Systems Physiology (3) and 01:146:357 Systems Physiology Laboratory (1)

  01:447:498  Bacterial Physiology (3)

  11:704:360  Animal Physiological Ecology (3)

  11:776:382  Plant Physiology (4)

One of the following:

  01:447:390  General Microbiology (4)

  11:628:321  Ichthyology (4)

  11:628:418  Marine Microbiology (4)

  11:704:323  Ornithology (4)

  11:704:324  Invertebrate Zoology (4)

  11:704:325  Vertebrate Zoology (4)

  11:770:402  Mycology: Fungi in the Environment (3)

One of the following:

  11:628:476  History of the Earth System (3)

  11:670:451  Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Atmosphere (3)

  11:704:240  Behavioral Biology (4)

  11:704:486  Principles of Evolution (3)

Electives (3)

An additional adviser-approved course in mathematics, science, environmental policy, or resource economics.

2. Marine Chemistry (55-58)

Required courses (52-54)

  01:160:251  Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (2.5)

  01:160:307-308  Organic Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160: 315-316 Principles of Organic Chemistry (4,4)

  01:160:311  Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)

  01:160:323-324  Physical Chemistry (3,3) or 01:160: 341-342 Physical Chemistry: Biochemical Systems (3,3)

  01:160:329  Experimental Physical Chemistry (2.5)

  01:160:348  Instrumental Analysis (3)

  11:628:451  Physical Oceanography (4) or 11:628:462 Biological Oceanography (4)

  11:628:472  Chemical Oceanography (4)

  01:640:151-152  Calculus for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4,4)

  01:640:251  Multivariable Calculus (4)

  01:750:201-202Extended General Physics (5,5) or 01: 750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) and 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1) or equivalent

Electives (3-4)

  01:160:439  Physical Chemistry of the Environment (3)

  11:375:416  Chemical Reactions in the Environment (3)

  11:375:444  Water Chemistry (3)

  11:375:451  Soil Chemistry (4)

  01:460:101  Introductory Geology (3)

  01:460:401  Introduction to Geochemistry (4)

  01:460:417  Environmental Geochemistry (3)

  11:670:323  Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere (3)

  11:670:451  Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Atmosphere (3)

3. Marine Geology (48-58)

  01:198:221  Numerical Problems and Computer Programming (4) or 14:440:127 Computers for Engineers (3) or 01:460:418 Geological Modeling (3) or equivalent

  01:460:101  Introductory Geology: Physical (3)

  01:460:103  Introductory Geology Laboratory (1)

  01:460:330  Sedimentary Geology (4) or 01:460:340 Sedimentology (4) and 01:460:341 Stratigraphy (4)

  01:460:331  Fundamentals of Mineralogy and Petrology (4) or 01:460:301 Mineralogy (4) and 01:460:302 Petrology (4)

  01:460:412  Introduction to Geophysics (4)

  01:460:451  Marine Geology (3)

  01:640:151-152  Calculus for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4,4)

  01:750:193-194  Physics for the Sciences (4,4) or 01: 750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) and 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1)

One of the following courses:

  11:628:451  Physical Oceanography (4)

  11:628:462  Biological Oceanography (4)

  11:628:472  Chemical Oceanography (4)

One of the following:

  01:460:303  Paleontology (4)

  01:460:307  Structural Geology (4)

  01:460:401  Introduction to Geochemistry (4)

  01:460:402  Ore Deposits (3)

  01:460:428  Hydrogeology (3)

  01:460:453  Paleoecology (3)

An adviser-approved equivalent

One of the following:

  01:450:417  Coastal Geomorphology (3)

  01:460:417  Environmental Geochemistry (3)

  11:670:451  Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Atmosphere (3)

An adviser-approved equivalent

4. Physical Oceanography (47-50)

  01:198:323  Numerical Analysis and Computing (4)

  14:440:127  Introduction to Computers for Engineers (3)

  11:628:451  Physical Oceanography (4)

  11:628:462  Biological Oceanography (4) or 11:628:472 Chemical Oceanography (4)

  01:640:151-152  Calculus for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4,4)

  01:640:251  Multivariable Calculus (4)

  01:640:252  Elementary Differential Equations (3) or 01: 640:244 Differential Equations for Engineering and Physics (4)

  01:750:201-202  Extended General Physics (5,5) or 01: 750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) and 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1) or equivalent

Three of the following courses, with at least one from each group:

Group A

  01:640:250Introduction to Linear Algebra (3)

  01:640:421  Advanced Calculus for Engineers (3)

  14:650:312  Fluid Mechanics (3)

Group B

  11:670:323  Thermodynamics of the Oceans and Atmosphere (3)

  11:670:324  Dynamics of the Oceans and Atmosphere (3)

  11:670:451  Remote Sensing of the Oceans and Atmosphere (3)

IX. Unspecified Electives (4-18 credits)